Fragile Glass
by pingipenguin
Summary: Tess has a surprise for Joel.


_**Standard Disclaimer: **__I don't own '_the Last of Us'. _Which makes me sad._

**o~O~o**

_The wood was damp beneath his fingers and yet, not unlike humanity, stubbornly retained its sturdiness in spite of years exposed to the elements. Grunting, Joel laid it flat across the gap that hindered their way forwards, a gruff, _"_Alright …_" _slipping between his teeth. He turned to the spitfire they'd been temporarily cursed with and sifted his spirit for a scrap of patience._

"_Now watch your step as you're goin' up, 'cause it's gonna be a little –_"

"_Pssh_."

_The scoff seared his façade. Irked, he waited until the girl's back was turned before turning to Tess for support. She met his gaze and shrugged, a tired look crossing her face. _Kids will be kids. _She huffed and dropped her eyes, keeping quiet as he padded inelegantly across the board to join Ellie on the other side. The girl's back was to the smugglers, starting intently out over the Boston cityscape._

"_Well,_" _Joel said, gesticulating as he spoke._ "_Is that everything you hoped for?_"

_Ellie shrugged. Indifference and intrigue scuffled briefly for dominance. _"_Jury's still out, but man … you can't deny that view._"

_And indeed they couldn't. Something about the girl's naivety tugged at Joel's intrinsic paternity and, as Tess coaxed the girl into moving, he found his gaze dropping to the abused watch on his wrist. Perhaps the reason he disliked her so was because he could see so much of Sarah in her; the burgeoning independence, the spunky rebellion against adult authority, the light of curiosity in her …_

"_Hey! Pick it up!_"

_Shit. Tess had caught him looking. _

**o~O~o**

All things considered, it wasn't the nicest way to be woken up.

Backtracking, Joel recalled the exact moment the pristine stillness of his room had been disrupted; the silent, predawn chill savaging exposed skin as Tess leapt on his bed and clawed the blankets back. He came to with a gruff yelp and scrambled for his handgun, fingers clumsy with cold and sleep, only to be stopped by a sinewy hand around his wrist and the sound of laughter akin to the tireless grate of stone on stone. Recognition panged within him, in time with his heart and the rush of adrenaline from his lower abdomen.

"Rise and shine, Texas!"

Ceasing in his struggles, Joel locked onto her eyes and seared them with his own. Indifferent moonlight filtering through his venetian blinds illuminated the right side of Tess' face, lifting it from her neck so it hovered, ghost-like, above him. Her teeth gleamed in a broad smirk. Her legs twitched energetically against the bedspread. Dimly, he registered that something must be wrong. Either that, or he was about to be the butt of a crude joke.

"Tess," he grunted, lifting his free arm to push her off. He found himself speaking through yawns. "Wha – wha' time is it?"

"Never you mind." Tess shoved the arm that restrained her playfully and swung off the bed, striding to the open door she'd so expertly snuck through. When Joel did not follow she turned mid-stride to look at him. "Come on. Up and at 'em."

"Fuck off, Tess," Joel said, grumpily burying his face back in the pillow. "Bill ain't meetin' us 'til midday."

"Screw Bill. This is about somethin' else."

Oh, joy. Joel huffed his displeasure. Tess' cocky footfalls against the rotting wood of the apartment heralded her approach.

"Joel."

"Mmph."

"Just … come on. It'll be worth your while, I promise."

No response. Joel heard Tess huff, then felt her lift the remaining blankets away from his legs. An involuntary shiver crawled his length.

"_Tess_."

"Please, Joel. I'm not asking much."

"Tess, I'm _sleepin_'."

Silence for a beat. Then, without warning, Joel found himself overturned and rolled towards an uncomfortable reunion with the floor. He impacted with barely enough force to coax out a bruise, but the indignity of it still smarted. Growling, Joel made to push himself up, only for Tess to grab his shoulders and haul him to his feet of her own accord. Satisfied, she pulled him in the direction of the door.

"_Tess, I swear to God _–"

"Yeah, yeah, big guy, I've heard it all before." Having entered the tiny kitchen of Joel's apartment, Tess pushed him into one of the chairs encircling the table and moved to snap on the light. He waited for the power to start pumping with a hand over his eyes, rubbing them tiredly, his aging bones longing for his bed. A soft _thwump_ to his left informed him that Tess had plopped down into an adjacent chair.

"Alright. You ready?"

"As I'll ever be." Without even trying, sarcasm dripped from the syllables like molten tar. Tess whacked him lightly on the arm.

"Behave yourself. Alright." She took a deep breath, held it, then reached into her trouser pocket; Joel could hear the soft brush of her skin against the coarse material. Silence. Then … "Happy birthday, Texas."

Surprise struck him like a tonne of bricks. He removed his hand from over his eyes and instantly regretted it as light from the fluorescent tubes overhead poked him squarely in the retinas. As the brightness cleared he became aware first of Tess' face, eyes wide and expectant, and then of something smooth and shiny sitting on the table between them. His breath caught in his suddenly constrictive chest.

It was a watch.

A little battered and bruised, maybe, but still a watch. Hardly daring to believe it, Joel moved to pick it up. A faint series of _ticks_, coupled with the movement of the second hand, ensured its ongoing vitality. Hell, the time it displayed was even right; Tess had thought of everything. Speaking of which …

"Here." Fingers picking deftly at his left wrist brought Joel abruptly back to reality; Tess was trying to unfasten the watch already in place thence. "No sense keeping that old thing any longer now I've got you this –"

She yelped in surprise as Joel, with a rough grunt, tore his arm out of her reach and cradled it against his chest as if it were a newborn child. The shattered glass of its ancient face caught the garish light of the overhead tubes, arching the room's length to fall, equally broken, on the opposite wall. The new watch lay where it had originally started; splayed between the two tense adults, a hapless gift. Its face ticked obliviously on.

The silence stretched like rubber. Tess' keen, albeit offended, gaze searched Joel's weathered countenance, seeking explanation. He offered up nothing save an old, tired breath.

"You didn't have to get me anythin'."

Tess huffed. She was cross. "Well, I did."

"You know I don't like birthdays, Tess."

Sadness permeated Joel's entire being. He kept his gaze averted so as not to further aggravate his partner, choosing instead to miserably rub the ruined face of Sarah's last gift. He barely even flinched as Tess exploded out of her chair.

"You know what, Joel? Fuck you. I spent weeks – no, fuck that, _months_ – trying to track down a watch that actually works. I have gone to the ends of the fucking _earth_ to find you something, and what do I get in return? Not so much as a 'thank you'!" Slapping a hand over her eyes she began to restlessly pace, her shadow darting tensely back and forth on the surrounding walls. Joel watched her wordlessly. A few minutes passed. Then, with a coarse sigh, Tess spun on her heel and got right in his face.

There it was again; the old tension that had, on so many occasions, flung them together as soon as it would tear them apart. Tess' nose was but inches from Joel's and, at such close proximity, he could taste the frustration on her breath. Overhead the fluorescent tubing, exhausted with its efforts, began to flicker, casting an even darker pall over the room that reflected all too accurately the mood. Evenly, Joel kept his gaze on Tess' flickering hazel irises.

"Why?"

The accusation fell from Tess in pieces, tattered amidst flurries of emotion-hung breath. It was something she carried with her; a palpable aura Joel was all too familiar with. _Why? Why do you shut me out? Why do you shut the world out? Why, Joel, _why_? _He had known Tess for seven years. This was the first time she'd dared come right out with it.

… If only she had the sense to leave old wounds well enough alone.

"I wouldn't expect you to understand."

Boom. There it was. Tess flinched visibly, fury following hot on the coat-tails of the mere frustration present in her gaze but seconds before. Joel was both prepared and unprepared for the slap, driving his head to the left, sending sparks showering across his vision. It literally took his breath away. Tess shifted and stormed out of the apartment; the last Joel heard of her was the slamming of the door and a soft, uncomprehending sob. Slowly, carefully, he eased his crick out of his aching neck.

The new watch still lay on the table. Come morning, it would be relegated to a shelf and never disturbed again.

**o~O~o**

"_Look, we're almost done. Stay focused._"

_The scolding was warranted, but still stung. There were times Joel regretted his inability to let bygones be bygones and this invariably proved to be one of them. It was an old dance between them, the tireless tug-of-war between predator and prey, a futile attempt to flip stones that were best left unturned. Tess would never forgive him for his reticence. He just hated to be reminded._

"_Yes, ma'am_."

_The hurt buried – for now – they turned and, as one, resumed their tireless trek towards that distant Capitol building._

**o~O~o**

**A/N: **_**The pre-Capitol building interaction between Joel and Tess is pretty interesting. Not only is it the first time post-apocalypse we get a glimpse of the light still residing in Joel's heart, and the future father-figure he will become for Ellie, but also a hint at something deeper between our two favourite smugglers. I know Tess had just been Infected and probably wasn't in the best mood, but nonetheless I'd imagine it would take a little longer for the Cordyceps to start altering someone's mood as drastically as it had hers in this brief scene. The conclusion I drew was that she still doubted Joel's ability to trust her, as though his demons were still a tangible force about him he never spoke of them with her. The focal point for this was about that tattered watch. Thus, I decided to take this little plot-bunny for a spin.**_

_**Hope you all enjoyed. As usual, reviews are greatly welcomed and encouraged – each piece of constructive criticism is an excellent contribution towards the evolution of my writing. I'd also like to personally thank each and every person who's reviewed my previous few stories. I haven't managed to get back to everyone, but rest assured your support is immensely valued. Thank you!**_


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